Vestibule passageway for railway vehicles



Feb. 2, 1943. A.' G. HOPPE `VIlSTIB-UlPASSMEWJI FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES Filed May 17, 1941 s sheets-'sheet 1 INVENTOR. kec .660W

Q fff/JQ WIM www ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 2, 1943. y A. G. HOPPE i 2,310,088

VESTIBULE PASSAGEWAY FOR RAILWALy VEHICLES Filed May 17, 1941 .5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Feb.` z, 1943.

A. G). HOPPE' VESTIBULE PASSAGEWAY FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 17, 1941 @bb/ff@ ATTORNEYS 1NvENToR 660 BY v 'l Patented Feb. 2, 1943 I seres ei orti-c,

VESTIBULE PASSAGEWAY FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES Z Claims.

This; invention relates to. vestibule passageways for railroad rolling stock of the type disclosed in Vaughan #1,108,816, August 25, 1914. In the structure there disclosed the rubbing plate 36 and the wings 2li were urged against their respective cooperating` members by coil springs held and guided by rodsilt. When the train took a curve the springs at one side were compressed and at the other side were extended, and on both sides the rods were thrown out of alinement, distorting the springs and frequently producing a jam as the train straightened out or when it turned the other way on a reverse curve. In freezing, falling weather ice forming in the coil springs interfered with the proper functioning and increased the tendency to bucklel and jam.

The object of this invention is to overcome these diiliculties and that is accomplished by using arched cantilever leaf springs fixed with respect to the rubbing plate and bearing at their free ends on the wings remote from the hinges thereof.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the locomotive cab and a portion of a tender with the passageway vestibule between them.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l showing lost motion allowed by the hinges between the wing member and the rubbing plate;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

l is a vertical section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a part plan and part horizontal section through a portion of the tender and the vestibule; l

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1; and i j Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line l-l of Fig. 6.

But these particular drawings and the corresponding description are used for the purpose of disclosure only and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

In Fig. l, I indicates the rear portion of a locomotive cab having steps I2 leading to a door I3 between grab irons I4.

In the same iigure, I indicates the forward portion of a tender, the coal deck or iloor IS of which is roughly alined with the floor I'I of the locomotive cab, and the space between them is bridged by a foot plate I8.

The drawbar and buffer between engine and tender allow the cab and the tender to have relative lengthwise movement in buif and draft, and

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alsov a great. variety oi angular movement in taking curves and going over breaks in grade, and a relative upv and down movement.

The purpose of the vestibule passageway is to afford enclosed communication between the tender and the locomotive cab through which the fireman can operate. The relative movement referred to requires. that the vestibule accommodate a great variety of different relative positions of cab and tender. For this reason the vestibule passageway is made in two parts, one ixed relal tive to the tender and the other movable relative to the tender andthe fixed portion and arranged to constantly engage against the rear wall of the cab to preserve a weather closure while accom- Inodating all the variety of movement.

The Xed part of the vestibule is best shown in, Fig. 3, where it appears as a frame of inverted U.shape, generally indicated by A, and comprising a top plate I9 and two side plates 2D, shown formed iny one piece with the top plate and having their lower portions connected with the extended coal deck I6 by angles I I and riveting or welding.

The movable part of the vestibule passageway includes a rubbing plate, generally indicated by B, which is also of inverted U-shape and includes side pieces 2i and the topv piece 22, all lying in substantially the same transverse plane and adapted to bear against the rear Wall 23 of the locomotive cab and maintain a weather closure with that wall, notwithstanding its various movements up, down, sidewise, backward and forward. The top piece 22 of the rubbing plate is stiffened by two transverse angles 24 and 25 (Fig. 4), welded adjacent toits upper and lower edges, and projecting rearwardly from the lower angle 25 is a roof plate 26, welded to that angle and to brackets 21 which are tted over it and welded to it and the top piece 22, as best shown in Fig. 4. The roof plate extends rearwardly from the rubbing plate and overlaps the top plate I9 of the xed portion of the vestibule passageway, the front end of that plate being strengthened by a transverse angle 28 .(Fig. 4) welded to it.

Each side piece 2l of the rubbing plate carries a wing 29 hinged to it by special strap hinges 3Il in which the hinge pins 3| are allowed lateral movement in elongated slots 32 (Fig. 2), in order to accommodate some of the relative side motion. The forward edge of each wing 29 is rolled over at 33 (Fig. 5) to form a closure with the adjacent edge 34 of the corresponding side piece ZI. f

As is best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the wings 29 overlap the side plates 20 of the xed part of the vestibule passageway and accommodate the relative lengthwise movement of the cab and tender and also much of the side and up and down movements. If the passageway is to be a weather closure, the wings must be constantly maintained in close contact with the corresponding side plates 20. This is accomplished by the use of several arched cantilever springs 35, here shown as three for each wing. Each of these springs is composed of four leaves of assorted length, the longest, 35, of which has a straight portion 31 to bear against the edge of the wing 29 remote from the rubbing plate B. Relatively large loops 38, welded to the wings, receive the straight end portion 31 of .the leaves 36 with abundant clearance to prevent snow, ice and dirt from causing binding. The remote end of each spring leaf 36 is turned up, as indicated at 39.

The cantilever leaf springs are fulcrumed on the side pieces 2l of the rubbing plate B in the present disclosure by being inserted between bars 40, welded at 4i to the rubbing plate and made fast by bolts 42, passing through the spring band d3, and the leaves of spring 3'5.

The entire movable part of the vestibule passageway is adjustably supported on the tender and urged towards the locomotive cab by four plungers 4 adapted to reciprocate in .the cylinders 45 and cooperate with springs 46 by which they are urged always outwardly but allowed to move inwardly when the turning movement of the train requires it. The forward end of each plunger 44 is universally connected at 41 with the rubbing plate B.

The springs 4B acting through the plungers 411 keep the rubbing plate B pressed well against the rear wall 23 of the locomotive cab at all times so that a weather closure is effected regardless of the relative up and down movement, side movement and turning movement. The wings 29 overlapping the side plates 20 and maintaining close contact with them at all times keep the sides of the vestibule passageway closed while allowing all of the necessary movement. The leaf springs acting at the edges of the wings remote from the rubbing plate preserve the appropriate contacts while providing the necessary yield and they are not subject to jamming due to non-alinement or due to ice or snow, that the coil springs disclosed by Vaughan proved to be. The roof piece 26 overhanging the top plate i 9 provides a weather closure at the top.

While the structure is shown and described in connection with a locomotive cab and its tender, it is equally applicable to other pieces of rolling stock.

What I claim is:

l. In a railway train having a locomotive cab and a tender, a vestibule passageway connection between said cab and tender comprising side plates adapted to bc rigidly connected to the forward end of said tender and to extend forwardly toward the adjacent end of said cab, an inverted U-shaped rubbing plate, means for resiliently forcing said rubbing plate into engagement with the adjacent end of said cab, a wing overlapping each side plate a material distance, a plurality of hinges for hingedly connecting each wing to the rubbing plate, a leaf spring comprising a plurality of superposed leaves of varying length rigidly mounted at its thicker end on said rubbing plate and having its free end curved inwardly and the outer end of the longer leaf of said spring provided with an extended straight portion atly engaging the outer side of the corresponding wing opposite the overlapping portions of said wing and side plate for applying pressure normal to said overlapping portions for yieldingly holding the wing in flat contact against the corresponding side plate, each of said hinges comprising ,two parts, and a pin and slot connection between the two parts with the slots extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicles whereby a limited relative lateral and angular movement of the side and rubbing plates may be had while the spring retains the wing flatly against the rubbing plate.

2. Inw a railway train having a locomotive cab and tender units, a vestibule passageway connection for said cab and tender comprising side plates adapted to be rigidly connected to the end of one of said units and ,to extend toward the adjacent end of the other unit, an inverted U-shaped rubbing plate associated with said side plates, means for resiliently forcing said rubbing plate into engagement with the adjacent end of said other unit, a wing overlapping each side plate a material distance, a plurality of hinges each having a lost motion connection therein for hingedly connecting each wing to the correspending rubbing plate and for providing a limited lateral movement of said wing laterally of said rubbing plate, a leaf spring rigidly mounted atone end on said rubbing plate and having its free end curved inwardly and provided with an extended straight portion atly engaging the outer side of the corresponding wing adjacent its free vertical edge for yieldingly holding the wing and its corresponding side plate in flat contact with one another during a limited relative angular and lateral movement of said wing and corresponding side plate, and a loop member on said wing for loosely engaging the straight end portion of said spring for limiting the vertical movement of said wing relative to said side and rubbing plates.

ALFRED GEORGE HOPPE. 

